My Celestial Ascension

The entire stadium fell into an eerie silence.

Everyone was frozen in shock, their eyes glued to the unbelievable scene before them. Not a single word was uttered—disbelief filled the air like a suffocating mist.

"F-Fifth Commander Darlene… is dead??"

"T-There's no way this is real… She's the strongest woman I know! She can't be defeated! This… This must be a nightmare!"

The two remaining subordinates snapped out of their daze and turned their trembling gazes toward Darlene's corpse. Their leader—undefeated, feared, and powerful—now lay lifeless before them, her face unrecognizable, her body motionless.

And yet, the truth was undeniable.

Darlene had been utterly crushed—defeated in a single blow.

'I-Is he going to kill us next…?'

A cold shiver ran down their spines as they instinctively swallowed hard. Their eyes darted toward Yuan, who was standing there smiling—a smile that sent waves of fear crashing through their bodies.

Meanwhile, the audience remained paralyzed, their gazes locked onto Darlene's twisted, disfigured face. Horror painted their expressions as the reality of what had just happened finally sank in.

"D-Did he just… smash her skull with a single punch?!"

"Unbelievable! How did he even break through her lightning armor?!"

"And he did it… with his bare hands?! Just pure, raw strength?!"

"J-Just how strong is his body?! Could he be stronger than even the Drake Clan—the legendary Dragon Slayers?!"

A tidal wave of murmurs erupted throughout the entire stadium, their voices filled with awe, fear, and disbelief.

—

Inside the VIP Room, Ajex stared at Yuan, his eyes widened in shock, his mind racing to process what he had just witnessed. Sweat dripped down his face.

"Not only did he dodge all of her lightning attacks effortlessly…" Ajex mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper. "He took her down with a single punch."

His fists clenched tightly.

"We… We must never make an enemy out of this man."

A deep, unsettling realization settled in his gut.

'I underestimated him…'

Yuan was far stronger than he had ever imagined. He recalled the moment Yuan first appeared before the public—casually lifting that mysterious spear as if it weighed nothing.

Now, the pieces were coming together.

At the same time, Heidi and Veni watched in stunned silence.

Their faces mirrored the expressions of everyone else in the stadium—disbelief, awe, and fear.

Had they just witnessed a monster in human form?

Veni glanced at Heidi, concern evident in her eyes. "Young Lady, I don't think it's a good idea to approach this madman and ask him to join our clan. He seems like a proud man—his pride won't allow him to work under someone else."

"You're right, Veni." Heidi let out a soft sigh, leaning back against the sofa. Her gaze remained fixed on Yuan, who stood grinning viciously in the distance.

"This fight with the Golden Skull Organization made one thing clear—he doesn't like being ordered around."

Her voice grew serious. "I don't want to make an enemy out of someone who can effortlessly take down the Fifth Commander of the Golden Skull Organization."

She paused for a moment, then continued, her tone heavier.

"He's dangerous. Very, very dangerous. And if we ever cross him… our clan will be wiped out. I won't let my pride destroy everything my ancestors built."

A bitter smile appeared on her lips.

"My pride is nothing in front of him. If he's a mountain, then I'm just a fist-sized stone…"

Her words struck Veni deeply. She turned her gaze toward Yuan, eyes filled with a newfound understanding—and fear.

Meanwhile, the last two of Darlene's subordinates stood frozen, their hearts pounding violently as they watched Yuan in eerie silence.

He wasn't moving.

He wasn't even looking at them.

Yet, the atmosphere around them grew colder, bone-chilling, suffocating them in an invisible grip of dread.

"This quietness is… different," one of them muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's like… something horrifying is about to happen."

He swallowed nervously, sweat dripping down his temple.

Yuan, meanwhile, let out a deep sigh, his golden eyes still locked onto Darlene's lifeless body.

"I never thought she'd be so weak…" He muttered, sounding almost disappointed.

"She couldn't even withstand a single attack from me. How boring… I was having so much fun. And then, just like that—it ended."

His voice carried a strange mix of apathy and regret, sending a wave of terror down the spines of the two remaining subordinates.

One of them clenched his fists, his breath ragged as he turned to his companion.

"There's no way this bastard is letting us go," he whispered. "We have to take him down… even if it costs us our lives."

His comrade inhaled deeply, then nodded, his expression hardening.

"Even if we die, we'll take him with us."

"That's right. For Commander Darlene. If we fall, we'll accompany her in the afterlife… together with our fallen brothers."

Their eyes burned with determination, yet deep inside, they knew the truth.

They were about to die.

They both nodded at each other, firmly gripping their weapons. A slight hesitation flickered in their eyes before they quickly dismissed the thought of running away.

"You're going to die, you bastard!"

With a loud roar, both subordinates lunged at Yuan, unleashing their most powerful attacks. Their bodies, magically enhanced, moved at an incredible speed.

In the blink of an eye, they closed the distance, yet Yuan remained motionless, standing there with a calm expression.

'Now! This is our chance to take him down! We must succeed!'

They slashed at Yuan from both sides, their daggers aiming to slice open his stomach before he could react and dodge.

"Hehe!" A wide grin spread across Yuan's face as he watched them attack from both sides. However, he made no move to interfere. Instead, he wanted to see if their weapons could cut him or not.

'This is the moment I'll find out how strong my body truly is… However, if their weapons can cut me, this is going to be painful.' Yuan hesitated slightly, wondering if taking their attacks head-on was a wise decision.

But it was too late for regrets. Their daggers were mere inches away from his body, and in a fraction of a second, they would strike with full force.

Moreover, their blades were imbued with the power of darkness through Forbidden Magic, making them incredibly dangerous and lethal. For ordinary people, this would mean certain death. However, for cultivators like Yuan, most magical attacks had little effect.

"You're dead now!"

Both subordinates shouted in unison, pouring all their strength into thrusting their daggers into Yuan's abdomen.

Seeing Yuan make no attempt to defend himself, they exchanged confident grins. This is it. They were finally going to avenge Darlene and their fallen comrades.

There was no way he could survive their combined strike. They had mastered the art of killing with swift, deadly precision—an attack strong enough to pierce through five inches of solid iron.

Clang! Clang!

The moment their daggers struck Yuan's body, they came to an abrupt halt. No matter how much force they applied, the blades refused to sink into his flesh.

'What the hell is this?! Why isn't our daggers penetrating?!'

They widened their eyes in shock as they realized their daggers had stopped moving forward. Bit by bit, cracks began to form on the blades.

Crack! Crack!

In mere moments, the cracks spread across the entire length of the daggers, leaving both subordinates utterly stunned.

'Just how strong is Yuan's physical body?! '

Their weapons—razor-sharp, enhanced by Forbidden Magic, and capable of cutting through nearly anything—couldn't even leave a scratch on him.

At this point… is he even human?

Clang!

Both daggers shattered into countless fragments, scattering across the ground. The subordinates, along with everyone witnessing the scene, were left frozen in disbelief.

"T-This is unbelievable! Our daggers… shattered?!"

Their voices trembled with shock. It felt unreal—those daggers were powerful, enchanted weapons. There was no way they should have broken so easily.

The crowd had been convinced Yuan was done for. Yet not only had the daggers failed to harm him, but they had crumbled to pieces before even scratching his skin.

A wide grin spread across Yuan's face. His little experiment had been a success—his body was now capable of withstanding powerful attacks without even using Qi as protection.

'This is incredible… I'm immune to physical attacks now!' Yuan thought, excitement gleaming in his eyes.

Then, turning his gaze toward the two subordinates, his grin widened. In that moment, he looked less like a human and more like a ruthless deity, one who instilled terror across the world.

"Is that all? Weren't you two planning to kill me?"

Seeing the sinister grin on Yuan's face, the subordinates' expressions turned deathly pale. Their legs trembled, and their vision blurred as a terrifying realization dawned upon them.

'This is the end… We couldn't even injure him, let alone kill him. We were too weak…'

Swallowing nervously, they looked at Yuan with faces drained of all color. They no longer had the will to fight.

"Now die."

Yuan spoke only two words before his fists shot forward, striking them with such force that their heads burst like watermelons.

Bang!

Blood, flesh, and brain matter splattered everywhere, sending a wave of shock through the spectators.

Thud!

The two lifeless bodies collapsed onto the ground.

Without a hint of hesitation, Yuan used his Qi to cleanse the bloodstains from his clothes. Then, without another glance at the fallen corpses, he soared toward VIP Room #9, where his aunt Aisha was watching.